NH T1010 Mower deck lock doesn't hold deck up

[mkow1969]

I have owned my T1010 for a few years now. Love the tractor. However, I was in a hurry and forgot to connect the drive shaft to the front pto last year and raised the deck. With the deck not up all the way I adjusted the deck height. Ever since then when I lock the deck it still lowers about 4 inches. I know when it was brand new the deck would drop just a few inches before the lock would catch the deck and the 3 pt arms still go down.

I have looked under the tractor with the left rear wheel off to see if I can tell what seems to be the problem but can not see where anything is bent or not catching. Does anyone have any ideas on what to look for?

Thanks

 

[DieselMonk]

I have a Boomer 1030 which is just like yours. I don't have the belly mower for mine, as I use a rear finish mower. My owners manual has the leveling instructions if you need it, I scan it and post it here. It should be 13 pages long. It doens't mention if the driveshaft needs to be connected or not. But it does state to start adjusting from cutting hight "D" on. That may be a reason why the lock doesn't engage, if you used a different cutting hight to adjust. As far as I understand it the mower deck has to be leveled side to side and front to rear.

 

[mkow1969]

Thanks DieselMonk for the reply. I have the owner's manual and have looked for a solution. It's not a leveling problem though. The problem is there has to be a part of the lock mechanism that keeps the mower deck in the highest position when locked. I just can't figure out where it is. I'm going to look at a parts breakout of deck adjustment and lock mechanism. Thanks again. Always glad to hear any suggestions.

 

[DieselMonk]

The manual doesn't say much about that transport lock. I am sure that is what you mean. You want to lock the mower deck up, so that you can use the 3 point hitch. Other than that, the mower deck moves up and down with the 3 point hitch at the same time.
Since I don't have the belly mower for it I can't help you much other than give you a little copy of that what I have in my Owners Manual. It explains how to set the lock with a couple of pictures with it. I am sure it has either something to do with the lift links that are either bent or not set proper, or the mower deck doesn't raise high enough, thus the deck needs a hight adjustment set propper.
The last pic explains how the transport lock works.

I see that you are using a front blade on yours... I use a rotary broom and with all that gear on front, I just found it easier to have a rear finish mower than a belly deck.

 

[mkow1969]

Thanks for the info. I'll check under the deck for anything that's bent.

Yep, i picked up the front blade for snow. It sure is handy for pushing it to the left and right without having to get off the tractor.

Thanks again and I appreciate the help!
Marty

 

[mkow1969]

Well... the good news is I was able to figure out how the deck lift and lock mechanism works. I was able to make some minor adjustments and it's as good as new. Bad news is the socket wrench slipped of the bolt I was trying to loosen and I ended up with 7 stiches in my little finger. My homemade bandage job wouldn't stop the bleeding. I'll live. I had to adjust the deck height lever so I could pull it back a little further and shorten the length of the rod that connects the deck lifting arm to the hydraulic lever that's at the rear of the tractor. If anyone wants more detail I'd be happy to share more. Thanks